It’s time for another post in the blog series “A German Alien in Japan“.
There are so many things I want to share with you, but I should have started writing about them right after I came to Japan.
Why? Because after a few years most things seem so normal to you although they felt so strange in the beginning.
If you’ve gotten used to things, you usually forget about them. They become routine and you certainly don’t write about them in your blog.
One thing that is always present and that most people living in Japan won’t be able to get used to is THE STARING IN JAPAN! [ insert horror background music]
I know that a lot of you are worried about how you will be seen or treated as a foreigner in Japan.
I’m sure you’ve heard a lot, but you shouldn’t trust everything you hear and just experience things yourself!
Of course it’s a good thing to get some information prior to coming, but always keep in mind that things are never 100% accurate and your own experience might be completely different!
Staring in Japan is everywhere:
If you come to Japan just know that you WILL be stared at if you don’t look Japanese.
How intense, how often, how many people will stare .. all that depends on various things.
I expected to be stared at when I first went to Japan as a tourist, because that’s what I heard anyways: “Japanese people stare at foreigners.”
At that time I went to major tourist spots such as Tokyo and Kyoto.
YES, people stared, but not as much as I expected them to. I was almost disappointed. *g*
However, if you live in Japan for a certain time – NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE – you will experience a certain degree of staring.
Usually at the major tourist spots they’re used to seeing a lot of foreigners, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be less staring.
I have always only lived in the Japanese countryside where there aren’t many foreigners, so there is some staring going on – EVERY SINGLE DAY!
When I go to a bigger city, I usually expect to get less staring than back home, because … it’s a BIG city, lots of FOREIGNERS, right?!
Interestingly there’s often even more staring going on there!
Who will be stared at:
Personally I hate being the center of attention, so I try not to stand out.
In Japan I stand out no matter what I do … just because I look different.
And in my case I don’t even look THAT different, I’d say! I’m not that tall, I have dark brown hair and dark eyes.
From behind people have confused me with a Japanese person.
But it’s my Western face that seems to not blend in at all.
I can understand that people are staring when there is a super tall or big person. They literally stand out in a crowd of Japanese people.
Or if there’s a tall, blonde and blue-eyed foreigner.
Even I stared when there were two blue-eyed, blonde and apparently foreign children speaking Japanese fluently with their foreign mom on a train.
That’s something you don’t see every day!
Foreigners have become quite a common sight, at least in bigger Japanese cities and yet there’s all this staring!
As long as you don’t look Japanese they will stare. [Can I have the horror background music one more time?]
Another thing I noticed is: there might be less staring when you’re alone.
Simply because one foreigner doesn’t stick out as much.
You’re aware of the staring a lot more if you’re alone, though.
If you are with a group of foreigners, you’re usually busy talking to them and you don’t notice so much what’s happening around you, but there is in fact more staring going on.
The Daily Stare:
If you have to deal with staring in Japan every single day for many years it can get very exhausting. .gif)
You can never really relax, because you know some people are watching every single step, every single movement.
You can’t even sleep in peace on the train without being stared at.
I’m sorry to tell you that, but you can’t avoid the staring in Japan!
Most Japanese people will look away the second you look at them (whereas Chinese people often keep staring).
While what I just mentioned might be true for adults, it’s a whole different story for kids!
Children can be very persistent and annoying when it comes to staring.
Kids stare at me every single day. And a glimpse is not enough! They want MOAR! Even when they pass by their head turns in my direction so that they can keep an eye on me. 
Speaking of Japanese children and staring there’s just one story out of many I’m going to share with you for now:
I was sitting in a Starbucks .gif)
and there was this little girl with her family right next to me.
The little girl turned over and had her face only a few centimeters away from mine.
She kept staring and staring … I couldn’t enjoy my coffee at all. .gif)
I was waiting for her mom to say something, but despite being well aware of the situation, she didn’t do anything!
Eventually I asked the girl in Japanese if there was anything strange in my face.
A “normal” young girl would have probably turned away immediately, but this girl just shook her head and kept staring.
IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ANNOYING!
I tried to turn away from her as much as possible, finished my coffee very quickly and left.
Yes, there ARE days like that!
But things could be worse. After all staring is pretty harmless, right? It’s annoying, you might feel uncomfortable, but it doesn’t really do anything to you.
What if it’s not just staring, though?
I had kids point at me, screaming: GAIJIIIIN!!! (Foreigner!!!!!!)
Of course, everybody else immediately turned over to “look” at me. .gif)
I was thinking about just pointing back, screaming: NIHONJIIIIN!!! (Japanese!!!!) 
In this situation as well the mother didn’t do anything about it.
Usually a mother would say: “Stop that! You can’t just point at people!”
I think that’s ONE reason why Japanese people stare so much. They weren’t taught that it’s a bad or rude thing to do.
If you ask a Japanese person about it, you often get the answer: “I thought foreigners are ok with it. It’s normal in foreign countries to stare at people, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, sure. Just like the flying pink elephants here in Japan …”
Sometimes the staring is accompanied by random comments. Luckily I mostly get nice ones, but to me it’s still annoying most of the time:
“Beautiful!”
“So tall!” (I’m only about 173cm and I never wear heels!)
“Look, a foreigner!” (“Look! A three headed monkey!!” …)
People often tend to suddenly speak English or change the topic to something about America (because they think you are American) when they see you.
How to deal with staring in Japan:
Well, there are people who mind and people who don’t mind.
It might even depend on your mood on that specific day.
Even I have days where I just HATE being permanently stared at and then I have days when I barely notice it or just don’t care.
If you don’t mind being stared at at all then congratulations! 
Tell me your secret! .gif)
I have no idea about good ways to deal with “The Daily Stare“, but here are some ideas you might (NOT) want to try:
You can stare back.
You can just say something. Anything is fine.
- “Is there something funny in my face?”
- “Are you in love with me?”
- “Have you never seen an alien before?” (“Michael Jackson was one, too!!”)
- “I know I look like George Clooney, but in fact I’m a woman!”
- “Could you just stop staring at me? Please?? PLEASE!!!!”
You can cover your face, start crying, start screaming or just make funny faces!
Photo Credit: Arni Kristjansson
Or you can get this awesome book cover for free!
The title of the book translates to: “Why do Japanese stare at foreigners?”
I’d love to get it just to see what would happen! *g*
Obviously that only works when you’re in a train or sitting in a café, not when you’re walking through streets or in a department store.
Now it’s your turn! Please share your experience! 
How do you deal with the staring in Japan?
What’s your weirdest experience?
Do you have the ultimate technique to stop staring?
Do you even mind when people stare at you?
I don’t really mind the staring, I don’t even notice it most of the time. Children are of course the most obnoxious ones, especially groups of boys returning from school :) They’re the one that suddenly start dropping English words to get your attention as well, but if you reply in Japanese (or possibly in English, I never tried) they usually back up as if suddenly scared and whisper. If the leave the train before me I usually get a loud greeting as well :) They’re kids, I can live with that.
I like to stare as well on trains if I haven’t go anything to read on me. It’s quite interesting really. Shoes are interesting :) I also listen in on conversations. If there’s nothing else to do, why not, it’s a public space.
If I’m lost I usually pick out the ones who stare at me to ask for directions. Same if I’m having trouble with my luggage as Japanese train stations still don’t have escalators/elevators. But I only really notice them because I myself am looking out for someone. Otherwise I really don’t.
I actually like to be noticeable in Japan. It leads to quite a few interesting encounters. Best result of such an encounter was being invited to a concert (I was standing outside with a sign trying to get a ticket) with a backstage pass (I only stayed in the normal hall though) and then afterwards to the after party with the band (Hyde from L’arc en Ciel). I doubt I would have been picked if not for my foreignness.
I’ve also been invited to meals, gotten free sightseeing tours, etc.
So no, I don’t mind the staring and the extra attention. It’s more than worth it, I’d say.
If people throw random English words at me from behind, I don’t react. I mean how should I know they mean me anyways, right?
I find it a bit rude, too. You should do things like that face-to-face. If people greet me while passing by, I always gladly do so.
If they greet me in English, I always greet in Japanese, though.
I find it very strange to reply in English when
a) we’re in Japan and
b) neither their nor my native language is English.
Often I hear a “HOMG! She spoke Japanese!” after they passed by. :hum:
I used to love observing people, but I almost stopped completely since moving to Japan.
I want to ignore the staring, but when I observe other people I notice the staring, so I even stopped looking at people’s faces for most of the time.
Well, that’s just my way of trying to cope with things.
Luckily it’s slowly getting better again. You certainly do get used to it somewhat, but completely? I don’t know.
Oh, I like those positive sides, too, but I’d rather not have either: the staring / bad things and the good things, if I could choose.
Maybe as a tourist it’s nice. I didn’t mind AT ALL when I was only a tourist in Japan.
However, if you have to live with the staring on a daily basis it’s not so nice.
Why? Because you go to your local supermarket. You’ve been there 100 times already, it feels like home to you and yet people stare at you giving you the feeling that you are different, that you don’t belong there and never will.
I guess everyone’s experience is different. I spent 3 weeks in Japan, so I didn’t have much time, but I didn’t really encounter much staring at all. I even traveled to some working-class cities and remote places that never see non-Asian tourists. I took buses, trains, subways, I rode a bike, and I did a lot of walking, so I was around a lot of everyday people; it’s not like I was only riding the Yamanote Line around Tokyo. I went to restaurants of all kinds, and aside from being awkwardly fawned over once or twice by nervous servers, it was all pretty casual. Sure, I’d get an occasional glance now and then, but really no straight-up staring. I ran into some schoolkids on field trips, and there were some who were staring, but a few were brave enough to try to come talk to me, so I didn’t mind. But even though I wasn’t stared at, I definitely got the sense that people were very much aware of me.
On my way home to the USA, once I was in the airport, I stopped to adjust my bags and get my bearings, and I watched people from my plane streaming into the terminal. I thought their faces all looked really weird, like characters from a 19th Century editorial cartoon, all pale, bulbous, bug-eyed, spotty-skinned, and gnarled. “Man, I was on the plane with a bunch of freaks!” I thought, at first. Then I felt foolish as I started to realize that no, that’s just how we look…
Yes, certainly, but don’t confuse being in Japan as a tourist with living here!
When I was a tourist in Japan for 3 weeks my experience was completely different, too! I didn’t mind the staring at all. I didn’t even notice the staring much.
As a tourist, even if you get to travel a lot and visit remote villages, you won’t experience that much staring.
For one thing you’re too busy focusing on all the great and new things around you and the staring (although no change in numbers) might feel like it’s not a lot to you.
However, if you live here many years it can become very annoying.
You visit the supermarket that you have been coming to in the past few years and it already feels like home to you, but people keep staring at you giving you the feeling that despite all this you are different and you don’t belong here and never will.
THAT’s the huge difference between being a tourist in Japan that might not mind the bit of staring and extra attention and somebody who lives here and gets the feeling that they’ll stay an outsiders forever.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us! ^__^
I know the feeling and it is SOOO annoying. Although I’m not tall, blonde with blue eyes, I’m black. Which is even more rare in Asian countries! When I went to Japan I was only in Tokyo, and tbh although I noticed some staring, I was so busy taking in my first visit to Japan that it didn’t really bother me. When I went to China however, I was there for a month and a half and by the end of it I didn’t even want to leave the house I was staying in!! Yeah it was that bad! I was in a very remote village where old women still had bound feet and probably had never even been to Beijing. So I can understand that seeing me was a big shock to them, but it was still annoying. I think that living in Europe or America you forget that there are so many different ethnicities, so it feels weird when you go to a country that is so homogenised.
I think that’s one reason why many tourists don’t notice the staring so much.
It’s just like you said. People are too busy experiencing Japan and taking in all the impressions.
If you stay longer – like you in China – you’ll notice it sooner or later.
And while for tourists the staring and extra attention might be nice and flattering, for somebody living here it’s just a sign that people think you are different and don’t belong here and never will. Very sad.
Most Japanese people don’t mean any harm, they just stare because we are exotic to them.
I have to admit that even I look a second time when I see a black person in Germany – just because it’s still a rather rare sight (at least in my city).
However, I’d never stare!
I’ve been sitting in a bus in Germany surrounded by people (not tourists) who all spoke a language that I couldn’t understand and I was wondering if I still was in my home country or not. That’s the kind of situation we’re used to in our countries. In Japan something like that won’t happen. Japanese people will always outnumber the foreigners and so a non-Japanese / non-Asian looking person will always stand out.
Well, I haven’t been to Japan yet, however I study German and Linguistics at my university (probably how I found this blog as I ahev a great interest in the German language, but I also have an interest in Japanese), so I have lived in Germany. From my experience German people like to stare more than Americans, and, like most caucasian Americans I look european, so it’s not as if anyone could tell I was a foreigner – in fact I was able to fool some Germans for a bit that I was German, then after 30 seconds they got supicious of my accent and though I was Dutch.
However, from what you have written I would say that the staring in Japan is overall a lot more common. In Germany I wouldn’t be stared at constantly or on a daily basis, I just had more moments where people would stare at me than I did in the US, and only one occasion where someone on a train in Germany kept staring at me since they knew I was foreign as I was speaking on the phone earlier.
Just like Silvia, I also like to stare or “people-watch”, especially when I am in a public place and have nothing to do. If a child yelled out “Gaijin!” to me in Japan and everyone turned to look, I think I would diffuse the situation with smiles and waves, as if I am the celebrity they are trying to make me out to be.
The part about the NHK coming to one’s door sounds quite annoying, but maybe I’ll do what you do; pretend to understand nothing, then when they try to speak English I will respond in German.
Hi Curtis!
What you say is very interesting and surprising to me. I never had the feeling that people in Germany stare a lot – but to be fair I have to admit that I haven’t been to many places in Germany yet and it might depend on where you go.
I always enjoy the freedom of not being stared at when I’m back home. I can walk through the shopping mall without anybody looking at me at all! ^__^
Well, I understand why there is so much staring. Japanese society consists mostly of Japanese people. (Most) foreigners look very exotic to Japanese people and they just stand out.
In countries like America or Germany where we have a very multi-cultural population it’s a different story.
I had somebody get angry at me when I told them the NHK story. (not a Japanese person)
Something along the lines “how can you complain about Japanese people assuming foreigners can’t speak Japanese and then pretend not to be able to speak it yourself just when it’s convenient to you?”.
The thing is that I didn’t do that from the start, but the Japanese just will go on assuming that most foreigners don’t understand Japanese. I have given up on it, so why not use this for once and get something positive out of this annyoing situation, right?
The staring wasn’t over the top in Germany, actually it wasn’t bad, I felt more at home there. I lived in Bavaria, I was actually studying at KU Eichstätt which is a private uni just outside of Ingolstadt (although they do have academic buildings with Ingolostadt). However, I have travelled through most of Germany, especially all of Bavaria and a lot of east Germany. IN a big city, of course, no one even notices you. My point about the staring is that I think it is more common to, on a warm day, go to a cafè alone and get a drink and have a smoke or something. During which I and many others would people watch. This is not common in the US, even if you do happen to go to a cafè alone, you always bring a newspaper, book or your computer so you can avoid people. This is what I liked about Germany: we would go to a cafè, get our drinks, and mutually stare at each other without people getting flustered like in the US, haha.
I understand though why you would pretend not to speak Japanese. I never needed to do this in Germany, however, as no one assumed I couldn’t speak Germany unless they specifically knew I was American, because no one believes an American can speak another language, let alone well – to which I actually agree, as the majority of the Americans who were abroad with me had a very poor command of the language even after years of studying it. I think in the NHK story you aren’t completely wrong in what you are doing, as I don’t believe you have a moral neccessity to contribute to the NHK.
Nonetheless, as foreigner abroad I feel it is of the upmost inmportance to try and communicate in the language there, and not only to better the perception the people of you and of those you represent – whether we like it or not we represent the western world – and whether you like it or not you do represent not only Germans but Americans, so please make us look good, we need it ;)
I think I’m of the type who just doesn’t notice the staring. I do occasionally, yes, and usually just smile at the person doing so and they stop. I mean I look at gawdily/sluttily dressed girls on the train longer than I should too so I am guilty of staring at others as well sometimes ^^ Or hosts obviously on their way to work early evening, they are the most amusing to see.
Does that book really exist tho, or is it just a book cover? I would love to read a psychological study of it done if there is one.
It’s good that this works for you. I don’t feel like smiling at any random person that keeps staring at me, so I just try to ignore it as much as possible, but sometimes I also get annoyed. It really depends on the situation.
No, that’s only a book cover, but I agree! I’d love to read a book about that topic as well! :thumbup:
It was even “worse” some 20 yrs ago when I was living in Japan. At that time there were _much_ less foreigners around, even in cities like Osaka. We foreigners started to spot us out ourselfs and when you met an other foreigner somewhere an the streets by chance you usually had at least a small chat. It felt like we were all sitting in the same boat somewhow.
When I came back a few years ago on a visit, I felt it has considerably changed. Much more foreigners even in smaller towns and they ignored each other completely.
But sure, you still get stared at from time to time. I usually havn’t had problems with it, maybe made my fun out of it, but I know, sometimes it’s just to much, you just have enough. Stay calm! They don’t mean it bad.
Of course, I also remember these kindergarten kids in my neighbourhood, who yelled at me “Haro Gaijin!” when passing by. I just waved back, simply found them cute.
Nowadays it’s kind of bad etiquette if you see another foreigner and greet them. It’s making them (and yourself) aware that no matter how long you’re here you’ll always stick out. You can spot newcomers quite easily because they either greet or make an aborted greeting :)
I rarely see any foreigners unless I go travelling to tourist spots or bigger cities, but I’ve only always lived in VERY small and remote towns.
I can imagine that it must have been much more some decades ago, though!
I think it’s strange to greet another foreigner. Why should I?
I generally don’t greet people I don’t know. I mean if you start doing that, there will be no end to that!!
Of course, if somebody greets me – foreigner or not – I greet back, but I’m not the one starting the greeting.
Most of them surely don’t mean any harm, but it can be quite insulting at times and I just wish Japanese would notice how much it can hurt us sometimes.
Hm, i get stared a lot. But in my 7 years in Tokyo, i learned to completely ignore it. Sometimes there are kids that can’t just give up, so i make a stupid face or i stick out my tongue. Sometimes they look away in shock, sometimes they laugh. They are kids. I love kids and so its ok. More worse are the guys that stare. Often i can feel the anger in their face. Racism is pretty obvious in Japan. Nevertheless, compared to Germany, racism in Japan is a joke. Anyway, if i feel uncomfortable with getting stared, i just make a kissing mouth or i give them a nice wink, then its pretty much over within nano-seconds…….
Maybe it just takes some more years for me then?
I got used to a few things where I thought I’d never get over it, but it took a few years, so maybe it’s gonna be the same with the staring. Right now I really can’t imagine it, though.
Well, of course! I’m not angry at the kids at all!
It’s just like you said! They’re just kids. They don’t know better. Hell, even I was like that when I was a kid, I guess.
What I’m angry about are the mothers who just stand next to their kids doing nothing at all!
A kissing mouth? :chu:
Maybe I should try that, too! XD
I usually don’t even notice it. When we were in Kanazawa my husband had to point out that the people there are staring a lot more than in Tokyo. I get the feeling that people stare at me more when I’m with my husband, because they hear me speak.
To me old people are a lot more annoying than children. Children don’t know better (though they should be told by their parents), but old people are just… ugh. I have to admit I sometimes stare at foreigners too, though. :hihi: Especially if they have half-Japanese children.
What annoys me is when people try to speak English to me. I’m not English-speaking, and their English is not really ever good enough to help with a situation. It’s mostly older people doing this though. Even the おかみさん at a ryokan, who had spoken Japanese to me the day before, greeted me with “Guddo Mooningu!” the next day. I’m sure they’re just trying to be nice (other than school kids who are just trying to get attention), but still. :hum:
Considering how many more foreigners there are in Germany (10% of the population in Germany vs. 1% in Japan), and that many people don’t grow up with foreigners around them, I guess we’re still a novelty. However, foreigners and half-Japanese people are increasing, so in a few years there hopefully won’t be any staring anymore.
I feel EXACTLY the same as you about the English-speaking part!
Especially when people shout something in English behind me. I never react to that. How should I know they’re talking to ME anyways, right?
It’s still frustrating that some people just don’t get it.
Japanese person: “Where did you come from?”
Me: “You mean where I live?”
Japanese person: “Yes.”
Me: “I live in XY, Japan.”
Japanese person: “Oh … No, no. I mean where did you live BEFORE that?”
Me: “Oh, I see. I lived in XY, Japan.”
Japanese person: “Uhm, … I mean where WERE you born?? You are NOT Japanese!!!!”
Me: “Oh yes, ….. I’m originally from Germany.”
Japanese Person: “Ahh, Germany. I like Germany, blah blah …”
Sometimes I try something else because like I mentioned one of my previous co-workers was born in Japan.
Me: “I was born in Japan.”
Japanese person: “(O_____O”’) …. Heeee~” (long pause) “Your Japanese is really good!”
(Well yeah, of course, if I was really born in Japan, that’s totally normal, right???? It just doesn’t get into their head!)
It must be really frustrating to be a foreigner who was born in Japan. You have to deal with this EVERY SINGLE TIME!
I have been in Japan for over 20 years and while I live in Tokyo, I travel to small villages for my work in Southern Japan. After all these years I just get used to it and expect it.
Nothing I can do about it so I don’t even think twice. Stare if you want to stare.
I just close my eyes or read articles on my phone.
It’s good that you don’t mind anymore.
For me it really depends on my mood on a specific day and what kind of staring it is, how many people stare etc. ^-^; ….
I found I really noticed the staring after I came back from a two week vacation in Canada last Christmas. I had completely gotten used to it!
The last time a kid stared at me I waved at her and she seemed really excited about that.
Where are some Japanese people getting this idea that foreigners are OK with staring? Foreigners of every country even with their various different cultures? That seems too ignorant to be true, maybe like an excuse to me lol but what do I know?
I have no idea! But you know that some Japanese people have very strange stereotypes about foreigners, so I’m not too surprised about that one.
Whenever I visit back home I enjoy being almost invisible! It’s a great feeling! ^___^
Of course people look at me at times in Germany, too, but at least I can guess that there must be a reason, e.g. I have something in my face, they know me, they find me attractive or ugly etc.
I visited Kyoto last year with a friend for 1 week. She’s Vietnamese, I’m blond, green-eyed, tall and slim. She was extremely distressed at all the staring (at me mostly). My tactic is oblivion unless the person is directly talking to me. I have been used to being stared at most of my life. I usually wear shorts and athletic attire and always running shoes. I’m 56 now and get more stares now because people don’t expect someone older to dress and look like an athlete.
BTW, I lived and worked in Cologne Germany for 2 years and was stared at because of my dress choices. It didn’t bother me at all. I would have been very unhappy dressing just to fit in more. My employer (tech company) was interested in my work product and ethics (I am an accountant).
It’s really interesting to see how people react to staring so differently! :)
I find it amusing that they stared so much in Germany, especially in a big and crazy city like Cologne!!
If you want to put it to test.Maybe can you try wearing one day a T-Shirt,… not with the title of the book, but something that funny, and with kids I would suggest a T-Shirt again with cartoons like ドラえもん or トトロ. Maybe they will read it…
And what would you have printed on the T-shirt? The same as on the book cover?
A T-shirt is definitely more obvious, but I think the book version is really smart! I’d love to try it one day! :D
A fat 共感 to coolio. Not sure when it happened, but I stopped being bothered a few years ago. And when you love kids (only started to love them when I got my own, though) you don’t really mind – in fact, it’s fun to use this as a chance to connect to the little monsters.
Maybe I don’t care because of my trip to the countryside of China some 15 years ago, where one guy kept staring at me for six hours in a train. The train was too packed to move on. Staring back – no option. And he kept his mouth wide open while staring at me for most of the time. A truly grueling experience.
I like little kids, too. I teach them every single day.
But I don’t like the staring and how some people treat foreigners here. That’s a different story.
My students treat me normally as they’re used to me.
It’s good to hear, though, that you’ve gotten used to it and don’t care about it anymore! I hope I’ll reach that level at some point, too! ;)
I can imagine it! Chinese tourists really stare shamelessly here in Japan as well! I’ve never been to China, but friends who have been to both countries (Japan and China) also confirm that it’s much worse there!
I just stumbled across this blog out of pure randomness and I have to say I like it.
This entry here pretty much tells of the experience of every foreigner in Japan. After almost a year now I have gone through a few stages already, but I think I have also found my own ways to deal with “the stare”. I have to get that book cover printed though…that’s just too glorious!! :satisfied:
I live in Kanazawa in Ishikawa-ken right now. So not totally 田舎 but close to it (or rather surrounded by it).
I think my favorite moment ever was, when I just went down to my local Aeon in my tracksuit to get some vegetables to cook. I was totally tired and just glad about some air-conditioning, suddenly this group of 3 girls stands immediately in my way and they don’t move but stare at me. They were standing right in front of the tomatoes, so I tried squeezing by them, muttering the usual “っあ、すいません”. In the moment I pass them by their leader, I call her Asuka, turned to the others and went “めっちゃイケメンでしょう？！すっげぇ〜じゃん？！” to her friends who nodded and kept staring at me while I was looking if there were any good, cheap tomatoes left.
By the way, I am 176cm tall and wouldn’t describe myself as utterly good looking, but these are the moment when I understand why some people returned to Germany with such an inflated ego.
Hello and thank you so much! :D
I’ve been to Kanazawa and I wouldn’t really call the area there “inaka” compared to other places, but I know what you mean! ^-^
Hahaha, that also answers my question about your gender, I guess.
For guys it might be true that some of them feel like a “rockstar” after coming to Japan. For Western women it’s not like that I think.
Hey, where’s part 04?
I have a great idea for your next post. Well, somehow you brought it up…..
What about: Gaijin women in Japan
*LOL* Don’t worry that’s already on my list (as well as many other things). I just can’t find the time to write, but I didn’t realize that there were actually people waiting for the next part!
Thanks so much! ^________^
@zoomie
Well, there’s nothing more interesting for us male Gaijin, than the life of a female Gaijin in Japan. You know, everybody already has an image about male Gaijin’s here, but you ladies are the real UFO’s (Unknown female OL’s) in Japan. And YES, i’m waiting……. ;)
I think there are quite a lot of female “gaijin bloggers” out there – even German ones like Claudia and “unser Fröschlein”! *g*
I’m glad you’re waiting patiently. ;P
Yep. But Angelina and Claudia are married to J-Dudes, so they are not really “represantative” for a typical Femgaijin’s daily “disaster” here in Japan. And some others might be single, but are too young and still naive, when it comes to a living in Japan. Oh, and you should already understand, that i’m definitely everything but patient….. :bleh:
Hai, hai, wakatta! *g*
I’m working on it. Please hold the line! [insert a horrible melody here]